The Darkness That Dozes In The Dusk
by Crimson Fear
Summary: Kareena Robotnik is intent on following in her Father's footsteps: destroying Sonic. But what happens when she comes across Shadow's son and transforms him into the beast he didn't want to be.
1. Piper's Wishes

**Sonic the Hedgehog and co. all belong to Sega and Sonic Team, while Piper Takara – Jane Hedgehog and other OC's belong to Piper.**

Piper's Wishes 'Greetings, young human, and welcome to Space Colony ARK. Obviously, you are weary from your tiring journey through space, but time is not an essence we truly have. I do not mean you any harm; it was your destiny to wander here, as is your destiny to listen to an age-old story. Only few people have ever heard of it, and you will be one of them. But, first things first, I will grant you the gift of light to show where your fate takes you.' 

A dim light flickers on from the ceiling, illuminating the spacious metal room, with nothing but a huge projector, showing nothing but a blank screen. You are standing right in the centre of the room, facing towards the projector. But that is not what you are looking at. Standing just a metre away from you and closer to the screen is a young, 5 – foot - tall hedgehog. She has tanned fur, with deep, brown eyes. Her quills are all dark brown, exactly like her eyes. Her gloves are pure white, with blue bracelets covering the cuffs. The hedgehog wears a gold bandana around her head with a single blue jewel in the centre. She begins to talk but, unbelievably, not a movement is seen within her shut lips. This startles you slightly, but curiosity for what she is speaking about keeps you from panicking.

'We are standing in the Main Computer Room in ARK, the last known place my ancestor was said to be found before he perished. My name is Piper Takara - Jane Hedgehog, Princess of Bane and leader of my People. My Past, Present and Future do not matter now. What matters is the legend that you are about to be told. Though I must pay you great heed, it is more than a mere bedtime story, and the marks you will bear after this encounter will only lead you into sorrow and rage. If you will, please make yourself comfortable.' 

As you are about to ask what you are going to sit on, slight murmurs from the Mobian in front of you cut off your words. She raises her arms to become parallel with her shoulders. Slowly, in a flash of white light, two pillows appear in the Main Control Room, a large and fluffy one emerges at your feet, while a smaller one does with her. She sits down on her own and stares up at you.

'Think wisely before you lower yourself. As soon as you are seated, I will not cease my story, and you will not escape those scars I have notified you about.'

You gulp nervously, before slowly seating yourself down. She still looks very serious, but you regard her worries with a reassuring smile. The hedgehog sighed lightly, before sitting more straight than before.

'Very well, your choice has been made. But to start this unwelcoming story off, you must travel long before your time, back when this space colony was unveiled from its secrecy, and the start of my ancestor's great tale.'

'_To begin this story, you must go back seventy years ago...'_

**Well, to anyone who's actually interested in this, please review! **


	2. The Ultimate Life

**Sonic the Hedgehog and every other character owned by Sonic Team is owned by, well, Sonic Team, just like all of Piper's OC's are owned by Piper.**

The Ultimate Life 

_70 years ago..._

Rouge the Bat ducked expertly beneath the huge missile aiming right at her, the very air rushing through her clear white fur as it whizzed past. More rockets and other nuclear weapons were also shot at her, some getting knocked off-course by the wind her open wings were making as they rose and fell slightly. They were not moving as quick so she would ascend off ground level, however, but at least it would prevent her from sliding over if she needed to do a sharp turn. The whole point of the procedure was to avoid aerial combat altogether, as Kareena suspected the bat used it too many times to be recognizable. It would do no good if the opposition would realise her real reason for staying with them, then instantly defeat her because of knowledge of her battle strategy.

'Sly girl, Kareena... Reminds me of me...' 

Rouge's thoughts were broken, however, by a huge rocket heading straight for her. Thankfully, the sharp turn she had been expecting to make saved her from total annihilation.

'_**WHAT THE -!'**_

The bat looked back, stunned at the weapon as it continued on its danger path, until harmlessly hitting the blast-proof wall at the far end of the room. Sleek and full of acidic liquids and explosives behind its metal frame, it was easy to tell that it was the dangerous weapon of all. It was shot from a huge soundproof sniper rifle, which made it completely silent and even then it closed in on its victim at an alarming rate. The acid burned right through you, never stopping until you were a smouldering pile of ash ready to be swept away by a janitor's broom. Rouge just hoped that none of her body made contact with the head. It was made of full metal and shaped like the top of a grappling hook. The spikes curved down and then back up, as if a bodybuilder had bent the ends right round. It caused complete agony when it shot through a part of your body, especially if it was a tender part, like a wing. Shortly after, it released the acid. Even if the acid were seeped from the body, trying to get the hideous thing out would hurt even more, leaving you with a very big hole. After a few more twisting and turning, the treasure-hunter finally made it to the other side of the huge room, quickly scanning the metal block on a stand, as if waiting for her to come. She found it completely harmless, as all other blocks that she had to crack open were.

'_Almost finished... just need to get the treasure and I'm outta here!'_

Another missile shot over her head, making her ears fold back to muffle the vibrations in the air. Quickly, she made it to the box, trying to dodge the rockets that were still intent on taking her head to the other side of the room. Deftly, she felt along the corners of the box, looking anxiously for a weak point that she would be able to pull through. After pacing around the box several times, mostly to avoid being in the line of fire, she found it. Swiftly, she flipped her pocketknife out of her dress pocket and brought it slicing down through the slit, until one corner of the box was open. After several moments of jerking and slits from the knife, she had the contents splayed out in front of her. She looked up at the window, about to smirk at Kareena, but what she saw was completely different.

'So much for 'this level will be a bit more complex and you'll have to act fast or you'll be –' agh!'

A grappling hook missile was quickly descending towards her – and she had no way of escape!!!

Rouge's green eyes slammed shut, while her ears automatically folded, waiting for the end...

Everything seemed to have stopped. The sound, the missiles, everything was gone. Just silence remained. Now why was that? Slowly, an eye opened, followed quickly by another. The red flashing lights that had previously winked at her during the _'fireworks display'_ had changed back to their original pools of white light, just dimly keeping the room visible. No more weapons had been fired towards her, while others that had been travelling through the air had just dropped lifelessly on the floor. Standing in the centre of the room was a black-haired girl in her late-teens (that's 18 if you don't know) with half of her hair dyed a dark green. She had an extremely pale face with cold grey eyes that flashed annoyingly in the night. Everywhere she went, a serious look was plastered on her face, unless she completed something really evil, which would drown her into peals of maniac laughter. The leather suit that she sported hung closely to her body, the leather gloves and boots hiding her hands and feet. Rouge had to admit, even though she was a Robotnik, Kareena had style.

"Once again, Rouge, your task of retrieving the controller for the guns has failed. Just remember that there could've been a Chaos Emerald in there, and if there's no Chaos Emerald, I won't be very happy. And we know what happens if I'm not very happy, don't we?" she scolded in a typical dark tone.

Rouge hung her head, knowing how reckless she must've looked.

"Yes, Kareena, I know. Sorry."

Kareena turned on her heel and left, the metal underneath her boots clacking on the floor as she strode out of the room. Rouge followed still cursing inside of her _second – instinct _behaviour. Strictly speaking, the white bat wasn't one of Kareena's slaves. Rouge could storm out of the base at the very second and it wouldn't really matter to the teen. After all, you never get a run-of-the-mill robot call their Master by their first name and never get punished. It was just that Rouge was eternally in debt to Kareena after the government realised that she had secretly been stealing priceless jewels. If it wasn't for Eggman's heir, she probably would still be lounging around with nothing but steel bars to stare at. After all, how could Rouge turn down an offer of full-time spying _and _full allowance for stealing jewels? The two entered the Computer Room, Rouge falling into step with Kareena.

"But really, Kareena, I can't complete _every_ mission you set me. No one can, not even Sonic the Hedgehog! I mean... you've got to be... _invincible_!!!" Rouge cried, not taking great care with her choice of words.

Kareena suddenly stopped, her already pale face whitening even more. Her eyes were wide and disbelieving. Slowly, her mouth opened and let in a small gasp.

"Kareena?"

The girl quickly broke out of her trance and raced to the plasma computer, falling into the chair and typing rapidly on the keyboard. Rouge just stared. What was with her? The bat slowly approached the already huge computer screen, standing next to Kareena. Her hands were just a blur and the continuous sounds as her fingers hit the keys caused Rouge's ears to go crazy. Suddenly, the concealed fingers hovered over the keys, still with wide eyes. The bat glanced at Kareena and, as her eyes averted to the screen, she also gasped at the sight. There, hanging open in a large file box, was a picture of –

"Shadow! But... he died!" Rouge stuttered, staring back at the teenager.

"He never..." Kareena paused in her sentence for a second, before bringing up a second box.

It showed a picture of the same Shadow, although this one was a lot different than the one before. For one, his fur was a lot more ruffled than it previously was, and his quills had lost their sticking – up form, drooping down like Sonic's. But they had grown so long, that the tips brushed against the floor. The hedgehog's eyes had lost their cold look and now bore a somewhat content sparkle. But the one thing that caught Rouge's eye was something she had never seen before...

Shadow... with a big grin on his face...

"His location was found shortly after he had fallen from the ARK, and for proof this picture was taken from the spy unit. Naturally, I came across it after looking at my family's legacy –."

Rouge knew what that meant.

Shadow...

Professor Gerald Robotnik, Kareena's Great Grandfather, had been the creator of the 'Ultimate Life Form' Project: Shadow. But something wasn't right. If G.U.N had found out that Shadow had survived the fall, then how come she had not been informed? She had been the Agent assigned for the ARK case, so it was only natural that she would be the first to know.

"But how come –."

"They had already caught you before the news had been found. That was the reason you were not assigned taking the photos; you were locked in a jail cell around that time. But that is not important right now. What matters is you bring him to me. He is living in White Jungle, somewhere near Mystic Ruins. Kill any other person there. I will be waiting for you with your next assignment."

Rouge blinked rapidly, taking a minute to let it all sink in. Her! Kill Shadow!! Not a chance!

Well, not if she didn't have a choice...

The white bat strode out of the room, her facial expression not transforming to show her sorrow.

'He seemed so happy on that photo... Why do I have to do this!' 

As she walked back through the training area that she had previously been fighting in, she kicked a nuclear warhead fiercely. She thought of not doing it. Maybe she could run away to a distant location and presumed to be dead?

But Rouge knew in her heart, she couldn't...

And with that, the white bat stepped out of the base and disappeared into the night, leaving nothing but a single tear on the ground and the words she had thought she heard Kareena say in her wake.

'The Ultimate Life...' 

_**Please review **_


	3. Death For The Dead

**Sonic Team owns Sonic the Hedgehog (Is he even in this fic?), and I think you know by now that all OC's belong to Piper.**

**Death For The Dead**

The black and white kitten known as Twist sighed happily as she watched her son dash through the old oak door and race into the kitchen, the grocery bag he begged her to let him hold pulled firmly to his chest with tiny hands. It was amazing how enthusiastic the little Hedgeitten could be, especially when it came to housework and cleaning. Still, she knew full well that being super fast had its disadvantages. Being eager was probably one of his most dangerous side effects.

'_Just like his Father...'_

She smiled as he climbed up onto the kitchen tabletop and began diligently taking the products out of the bag and letting them sit in small, charted groups. It was actually quite surprising; to see a small child, knee-length in height, taking on so many responsibilities. Some, of course, were more urgent than others. He was not allowed to speak of his Father at all when they went to Mystic Ruins market, and, if questioned, would say that he died in a car crash. Even though he didn't fully understand why, the infant stayed true to his word and stayed quiet as he always did. Twist knew exactly what the dangers where if anyone found out about the hedgehog though.

"It's okay, Shad, I can handle this. Why don't you go outside and play?"

His small frame halted and he looked up at his Mother, his big brown eyes blinking slightly as she finished her sentence. It was actually quite funny, him, sitting on the bench with a can of tuna in his hands, just watching her. Was that shock on his face?

'_Jeez, people will think that I've trained him since he was born to be all handy!'_ Twist thought, as she recalled how lucky she must be, to have a child such as this.

After a few more minutes of Shad staring at her, she walked to the counter, gently taking the can out of his hands.

"Go on. You never know, you could get your Father to show you how to swim, if he isn't already sleeping like a baby..." she whispered in his ear, as she pulled the bag of groceries towards her.

Shad didn't move, but started watching her with interest.

"No thanks, Mommy. I'd rather watch you put the shopping away... Anyway, Daddy's probably already asleep," the young one replied enthusiastically, a small laugh escaping his throat as he recalled how many times his Father had worried them when he fell asleep after dark.

Twist's expression was serious for a second, before replacing it with her sunny grin.

"Well, okay then!"

What they didn't notice was a black figure dropping down from the ceiling, a glowing and silver rapier sliding out of its sheath...

Shadow the Hedgehog sat against the back of the huge tree, the ferny leaves providing even more shade for his wild and untamed body. His fur had grown a lot rougher than before he had fallen from the ARK, and his quills had grown a lot longer and sharper, but the hedgehog didn't mind. It wasn't as if he hid his appearance a lot better if he changed himself back. Shadow never wanted anyone to realise where he was. It was his way of putting the past behind him; all that would come of it was the military after him and that blue one trying to find him.

'_After all, who would throw away this life?'_ he asked himself, as he watched the raindrops from the night before roll off the leaves and hit the ground.

Suddenly, something a lot different from the normal sounds of 9am caught his ears. It sounded like heavy boots stamping hard on the grass, one in front of the other. Another pair of footsteps was instantly recognisable as Shad's. This did make the hedgehog stand up. His son had never once before ran through the forest, he was always occupied with some kind of object. Shadow didn't blame him. Never was the huge place the same as the day before, there was always some kind of new creature or plant ready to be investigated. But right now, Shadow was straining himself to find the identity of the boots. They seemed oddly familiar... That wasn't good. Shadow knew only a few small details about his past, but one thing he knew full well was that anyone he had made acquaintances with were against him in some way. Then, there was his son, instantly visible from his black shape.

"Shad!" the child's Father cried out, making sure that he saw him.

Shad instantly found Shadow, knowing his familiar black fur with red streaks. He ran towards him and grabbed his hand, trying desperately to tug him away.

"What is it, son?" Shadow asked, kneeling down so he could look at Shad properly.

"The – They... killed M – Mommy... They want y – you... got to h – hide!" the young one said between sobs, the tears sliding down his muzzle and hitting Shadow's fur.

With every word, Shadow's eyes slanted even further, till his pupils were just a slit of red. More rustling caught his hearing. The older one stood up swiftly, the crimson eyes he sported moving from left to right. Suddenly, a shape could be recognized in the trees.

A very familiar shape...

Just as familiar as the boots...

Then the form materialized into a large, white bat with manipulative green eyes, her smile dripping with unsaturated lust. Her clothing consisted of a small one – piece spy dress, as if she was dressing to impress. But what angered Shadow most of all, was the huge rapier she had hanging loosely in her palm, silver blood sliding down the blade's end, until hitting the grass below.

Twist's blood...

"Shadow the Hedgehog... well I must admit, it's a surprise to see you again –."

"Just who are you, and what do you want with my family?" the subject of her conversation retaliated, his grip tightening on his son's hand.

The bat hadn't noticed the small child yet, and Shadow was sure she never had; he knew full well that Shad's black fur was an exact carbon copy of his own, so it wasn't exactly hard to believe it was him at a distance. The bat smirked. Watching his reaction now, was no different to the one he posed when he realised she was working for the government back on ARK. But Rouge knew she had gotten to his heart after she had killed the kitten, which was probably classed as his wife. And instead of answering Shadow's question, she merely continued.

"Though you haven't changed much. Appearances and emotions... But before you regarded me as some sort of saviour after I pulled you into darkness."

These words surprised the hedgehog. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the horrible things he had done. Shadow could tell she wasn't lying about what she had said. Gingerly, he pulled his son behind him, not wanting him caught in the line of fire if there was going to be a fight.

"After all, you were so eager to be swallowed by it, you practically begged me for it. So I'm giving you an offer: come back to me quietly, and I will spare your life. Try to withstand and I don't think you'll live long enough. Either way, you'll help my boss -"

"I'd rather breathe underwater than let you take away my freedom!" the black one spat at her, his teeth bared and a deep growl in his throat.

The bat sighed heavily, before pulling the rapier into an offensive position. Shadow wasn't phased; he had dealt with those types of swords before. He got into his own battle stance and was ready to take the female down. But, his thoughts were banished back to the shadows, as a small whimper behind him came to his ears. He glanced down at his son. He was peeking around Shadow, his brown eyes wide and filled with tears as he noticed the blood on the sword. The older one gritted his teeth so hard, they felt as if they were crushing together under the pressure. The bat smirked.

"Oh, Shadow, must we fight? I'm sure our accommodations will be to your liking... just a brief moment of pain, and then you can be even stronger than you were before," she purred, almost in a sadistic way.

Shadow wasn't having any of it. But he did reconsider it. He looked off to the side, so he could watch his son out of the corner of his eye. Shad acknowledged him by squeezing his Father's hand. The older one gave a flicker of a nod and a twinkle in his eye as he turned back to the bat. He smiled.

"Yes, you're right. We mustn't fight."

Then, in a split second he had flipped his son onto his back turned on his heel and ran.

"But if you want me, you'll have to catch me!" he shouted back, the word 'me' getting lost in the wind as his feet propelled him forward.

"Tut, tut, Shadow, I thought we could settle this without any more blood spill. But you have sealed your fate my friend."

And with that, the bat raced forwards after the hedgehog, the hidden rocket accelerators that she had on the bottom of her boots tearing up to his speeds. The scenery changed dramatically into the darker part of the forest. Thorns lay on the path at each side, thirsty and ready for fresh blood. After notifying this, she turned her attention to the priority at hand. She easily fell into step with him, still not noticing the small child on his back. Shadow looked at her with a mixture of shock, anger and fear.

"How... H – ow did you...?"

"I gave you a choice Shadow. And now, you are going to have to help us the hard way!" she called back through the sharp whistling of the wind and the pounding of their feet on the dirt path.

With that, she grabbed his arm tightly, making him jerk abruptly and slow down for a couple of seconds. But that small amount of time was all she needed. Her metal – heeled boot went slamming into Shadow's ankle, resulting in a cry of pain from the older one. The hedgehog immediately collapsed as his ankle gave out under him. He could almost feel the bones jerking and cracking out of place. What he didn't count on was the chances of the bat still latched onto his arm.

"Now, Shadow, feel the true wrath of Dr. Robotnik's power!" she cried, before yanking him back up by his wrist and sending him flying into the forest.

The thorns were like millions of tiny spears slicing right through him, as if he was a mullet on an open fire. He felt blood racing down his cheek, beginning something that could only be described as 'free – fall', before staining the white tuft of fur on his chest. The older one didn't care. He just wanted to get his son away from her... away from this place. With a small whimper of pain, he gripped a few thorns tightly in his palm, feeling them drilling holes through his hand. His white gloves that he sported would normally be used for some sort of donated protection, but considering that they had been basically ripped to shreds, he didn't even try it. After a few more seconds of ripping thorns out of the ground, he was satisfied to see the lush, green grass beneath the dead leaves that he hastily left.

"Well, Shadow? I suppose even your stubborn attitude can't take it now? It never would've been necessary if you came quietly," a voice close to where he had landed called.

She was taunting him like a little kid, and he knew it. Delicately, he unwrapped his son from around his neck and placed him on the patch of grass. Nothing was seriously wrong with Shad, just a few cuts and scratches, but Shadow knew he wasn't going to be critically injured. Since the older one had made sure that he landed on his stomach when he was being thrown through the air, Shad wasn't really hurt at all. Shadow however, was very worse off. His breathing came out rough and ragged, while all of his body was pierced and covered in blood. He already felt his legs and feet shutting down, going incredibly cold until just moving into a numb throb.

"Shadow, Shadow, Shadow... and I thought you would always be as evil as you were before. Who were you kidding, you belong in darkness," her voice was further away now, and giving no kind of impact on Shadow (he wasn't even listening!)

Shad crawled up to his father, his eyes filled with tears. He had never seen his father as bloodied as this before. Shadow managed to twist himself onto his back and looked at him through half – lidded eyes. A few tears hit Shadow's soft fur. They were warm and soothing against his open wounds, which made a small smile come onto his face. But the feeling disappeared just as quickly as it came. Shadow still smiled. He knew he'd never make it. He didn't fear death, but he still wanted to stay strong for his son. The son who would soon face homelessness and hunger for the rest of his life.

"Shad..." he whispered to his son, making the younger ones ears perk.

He moved closer to Shadow and touched his hand. It was cold as ice and Shad could already feel the blood staining his glove. Shadow ran his thumb over the younger ones' knuckles, trying to calm him down.

"Don't worry about me Shad... I'll be okay... but I want you to do something for me... Don't cry," Shadow's voice was beginning to break, crumbling away just like his shattered ankle.

Shad drew himself closer to his father. He watched sadly as his Father's pupils began to lose their focus and his hands began to shake. His fingers held the ripped ones steadily, using his glove as a sort of insulation to the wounds.

"I'll do anything. Anything."

Soon, Shadow's body was all shaking and his breath came in short gasps. He struggled to stay awake; he needed to comfort his son.

"I w – want you t – to pro – mise that you'll n – never let them t – take you. D – don't let th – them hurt y – you. L – look for S – Sonic the H – hedgehog. Pl – please..." Shadow's voice was dying slowly, like embers on a fire.

He brought his son close to him, hugging him tightly with the last strength he had. Blood stained Shad's fur, but neither hedgehog cared. Softly, Shadow kissed his son on the forehead.

"I love you... Shad the Hedgehog..."

And that was the last thing the almighty Shadow, the true Ultimate Life, said...

But Shadow knew...

He knew as soon as he woke up that morning...

As soon as he saw his son running up the path...

That the day had finally arrived...

The Death For The Dead had come for him at last...


	4. Substitue Realized

**All OC's belong to Piper while Shadow the Hedgehog (yes, Shadow! Sonic isn't here for it to be qualified to him!) Belongs to Sonic Team, as do every other character created by... them...**

Substitute Realized 

Rouge expertly dropped down the ventilation shaft, trying her best to dodge the invisibly cloaked lasers that she had memorised as the drop commenced. Her wings shot open with a small fluttering sound as the darkness receded to show the metal floor just outside the Computer Room. The bat landed just as swiftly and moved to the wall so fast, she could've been mistaken for a draught of wind, or a glitch in the computers. She turned slightly to the metal door with the words Computer Room splashed in blood red paint.

'Blood red...' 

Her ears folded back slightly as she felt the stinging liquid of blood on her hands.

Blood she had deliberately spilled...

And for nothing too...

She quickly punched in the security code on the wall next to her, trying her best to forget about the appalling crime she had committed. Shadow was her friend. Well, maybe not that close, but still, they did work together, and Rouge had never forgotten when he risked his own life to save her.

And how did she repay him?

Going to his only sanctuary of real content that could still his aching heart and destroy all of the things he treasured...

The bat ducked through into the Computer Room as the doors automatically opened, the green lights of 'valid entry' and smoke, giving her quite an entrance. She stepped through it, the camouflage wearing off and her quick eyes darted around. The computers were on and showed the exact same information when she went to carry out her murder.

For that's all it was...

Plain, undisputed, murder...

Kareena was still sat in the computer chair, her long hair dropping down the back and masking all of her body. The heels of her boots were grinding into the pole holding up the seat. Rouge could see quite clearly other dents that had been engraved by the boots, most of them from frustration or anticipation. The chair swung around to reveal the pale teenager once more. Her lips, which were painted with black lipstick, curled into an entertained smirk.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked, her eyebrows rising considerably.

Rouge smiled back. Well, inside it was a frown. Her guilt of what she had done was still there. And she was ashamed of it.

"Of course. You know, if we got found and the base was stormed without my knowledge, what is it going to be like when I show up on the sensors!"

"If we had a break – in every time you made it back, you'd probably be captured about fifty times now," and with a questioning look from Rouge she brought up the security camera's on the large computer.

It showed everything that Rouge had done as soon as she entered the base, and even in the corner there was a planned route of where she had gone so far. As the tape progressed, the bat's green eyes grew wider, until it ended. Kareena's fingers tapped on the keyboard twice, before bringing up the picture of Shadow before the ARK fell.

"Now... where is he?"

Rouge winced. Inside, she was burning with hatred. How could Kareena just stand there and speak about him, as if he wasn't even dead? But the bat tried as best she could to make it seem like it was the knowledge of no item to present to her boss.

"I... couldn't get him..."

"What...? Rouge, I entrusted you with this one simple task, and now look what happens. Honestly, can't you do anything right? If you haven't got _him _then I'll just have to use you instead!" Kareena's voice was screeching at Rouge as loud as it had ever been, each word striking her further and further down.

Kareena stopped her rampage and changed it into a burning stare. The teenager's breathing was incredibly harsh and gasping, much like a bull's as it begins to charge. Rouge took this chance.

"I'm sorry, I was going to get him but he killed himself before I had time to grab him and fly away! But, I did get something that could help you..."

Kareena stopped and her eyes widened, followed by a dark smile. This was it; Phase One of her plan had been complete. Surely Rouge must've brought a blood sample or a DNA strand? The bat thrust a hand into her cloak and pulled out...

A small child, hanging suspended in the air by the scruff of his neck towards Kareena.

He looked up at her with big, underdeveloped, brown eyes, past tears drying on his black cheeks. Kareena crumpled her nose up at the child in disgust, her grey eyes never leaving him. The teenager hated children and always classed them as complete mistakes, and a total humiliation to the human race. That was probably why she had grown up so fast.

"What, is that?" Kareena asked as she turned her nose up at the Hedgeitten, and pointed to it as if it were a huge and hairy spider.

Rouge glanced to the child and back to Kareena. She smirked widely and dropped the child to the floor. It gave a painful yelp and a few tears splattered the metal.

"It's Shadow's son."

Kareena narrowed her eyes as she took in the... _creature _before her. He was all black, with under-developed quills that stuck up unnaturally at the ends. His eyes were a said brown colour, a symbol of infancy for a small child such as him. He had a white muzzle and arms, with a small button nose that did not resemble a hedgehog's at all. He wore sparkling white gloves with plain white trainers. But what made Kareena even more suspicious of the child's kin was the lack of streaks on him.

"You are telling me that this, this _thing_, is Shadow the Hedgehog's child?? And what does it have to do with Shadow's body?" Kareena asked with a raised eyebrow, kicking the Hedgeitten repeatedly in the side as the words left her mouth.

A small yelp and more whimpering of tears accompanied each dull thump of shoe on bone. But the child was so frightened and horrified by what he had seen that he couldn't speak at all. Kareena didn't care. She just wanted to know what this had to do with Shadow. Rouge cleared her throat and tried not to listen to the yelps.

'Great... I don't just have to kill him, I have to torture his kid as well... Oh, why did I bring him here!" she screamed into her mind, the pressure getting to her again. 

Guiltily, she walked over to the side of the computer, picking up an injection needle. It was completely empty, but it might as well have been spattered with blood. It felt like she was holding a red-hot poker, but she daren't let go, for fear of what could happen. She bent down and picked the child up roughly by his neck again. He whimpered in her arms. Quickly, her fingers brushed against his fur, calming him. It was actually quite effective how she had done it. Just as swiftly, and to avoid more pain to the Hedgeitten, she jammed the needle into his skin and pressed down on the top. His screaming echoed throughout the entire base, much like a funeral hymn at a church. She carefully took the jab out and dropped him back to the floor, claiming another yelp from him. Even more rushed from the pain beating within her heart, she strode over to the computer and unclipped a wire from it's back. She carefully dropped the cord into the needle's interior and logged up a program, covering the picture of Shadow. It showed a huge metre chart, as the blood was checked into the program's main data. Rouge knew this data, for she had collected it herself, back on ARK. Shadow's blood type. In a matter of minutes there was a slight beep and then the cool voice from the computer:

"Blood sample successfully downloaded."

Kareena walked over to the bat sitting smugly in the computer chair, being extremely careful to stamp on one of the child's upper quills, receiving a shrill cry of pain. She stood beside Rouge and watched with one eyebrow raised as the two letters 'AB' appeared on the screen. She looked down at the bat.

"Very good. But I still don't see why you brought him here and didn't just kill him. He's no use to us, and you know it," the teenager said to her.

"Ah, well watch what happens when I compare the kid's blood with Shadow's," the bat replied, a glimmer of a smile crossing her face.

Another few minutes later and Shadow's blood type had also appeared in red lettering beside his son's. It was then that Kareena understood. This was perfect, no, better than perfect. Shadow was too pure a soul and too clever, to go willingly back to Rouge and the evil that took over him. After he had sacrificed himself for ARK, his body was left free of it, he was untainted. He wouldn't have wanted to get mixed up in it again. So why not use someone who did not understand the ways of good or evil, who had only seen one sight of injustice, which could be wiped clean from his memory anyway?

Why not use... Shadow's son?

**Just a little side note from the last chapter. I'm sorry for leaving Shad's description for so long, it's just that it doesn't really matter... You'll find out why in a sec ... I also would like to say sorry for not giving Twist a proper description, but, as you may have read, she wasn't alive long enough to qualify for one. And if you want to make something of it, read my other fics and leave me alone!**

**And also, I know Shadow didn't kill himself, but think! The thorns were piled in a bundle beside him, he had been moving around a lot, there was blood everywhere, and Rouge wasn't there to see what he was doing. So Rouge just assumed. What else is she going to say to Kareena: 'Oh, I don't know what happened to him, I think I killed him.' Think people!**

**Yes... _please review - . -_**


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